Bitter Inferno
by endless.nirvana
Summary: Loosely following the story line through Azula & Ty Lee's POV. Warning: TyZula Yuri. Rated M for dark themes and sexual content.
1. An Order Given

Disclaimer: (Applies to this and all future chapters) I do not own Avatar or any of its characters.

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><p>Ty Lee sat in the plainly decorated room, fidgeting nervously as she awaited the return of her princess. She had been summoned hours ago and the acrobat was worried. When the servant came to deliver the message she spotted a wound on his upper right arm, a burn wound. That could only mean one thing: the Fire Lord was angry. She was afraid for her princess. Ozai was a fearsome man and all cowered when his wrath was turned on them.<p>

She got up and began to pace the room as a thousand unpleasant thoughts raced through her mind. She knew he was angry, but who was he angry at? Surly it could not be Azula, she worshiped the man and followed his every word. But why summon her in the dead of night if not to punish her? No good could come of this, of that she was certain.

Her pacing stopped when all the candle flames turned a cool blue casting an ominous shadow in the room. Such a vivid blue, so elegant and captivating that it could only belong to someone of equal caliber. Azula's flame commanded attention and exemplified superiority in a way only a prodigy could. Much unlike Ty Lee, who had been brought into this world as part of a matched set, the princess was truly unique in every conceivable way.

It drew the acrobat like a moth to a flame. She didn't stand a chance. That silly little acrobat, who had run off to join the circus at the tender age of 10. The same one that was brought back kicking and screaming by the princess who's excuse was simply that good help was hard to find.

It was then that she realized someone cared; as little as it may be, it was the only thing keeping her home. The place where it felt as though she was back at the circus walking through a sea of mirrors. It was not long after that when she had become completely taken with Azula, the one girl who could pick her out from her seemingly infinite number of identical sisters.

Ty Lee turned slowly, already aware who awaited her. The girl stood stiffly in the massive doorway. Her expression did not betray her thoughts, they never did. Yet Ty Lee could read the girl like a book. Because no matter how hard the prodigy tried, she had not found a way to hide her aura, yet. She was conflicted and distressed but above all she was angry, very angry.

Her eyes connected with the heavy golden gaze that could only belong to her princess. The way they reflected in the blue light made her look even more deceitful than usual. These eyes did not belong to the girl she loved; they did not belong to the girl she befriended at the Fire Nation Academy all those years ago. Those eyes belonged to the Fire Lords daughter, the crown princess of the Fire Nation.

Azula was always different after she spent time with her father. She came back with a new 10 foot wall built around her, one that Ty Lee had to start all over again at trying to chip away at it. It seemed Azula's desire for her father's approval had only increased after the disgrace of her brother. The moment Zuko had been banished her already overbearing attempt at perfection had doubled. She was determined not to shame the Fire Lord as his firstborn had.

Azula shut the door behind her loudly and leaned against it, eyes still burning into the fidgety brunette. It amazed Ty Lee how Azula managed such a smooth and collected exterior when she was obviously bothered. She glanced down shyly, unable to hold the intensity of Azula's eyes. A smirk crept across the princess' face and her aura slowly began to calm.

Cautiously, the acrobat walked towards the girl and laid a hand on her shoulder. Azula unintentionally flinched, caught off guard by the intimate contact she was so unused to, contact only the acrobat had ever provided.

Ty Lee waited; she would not push the issue when the fire benders aura still hinted at anger. Azula shrugged her hand away and walked towards the bed, an action that hurt Ty Lee but it was to be expected. When Azula sat the flames around her started to cool, and turn back to the plain faint orange they usually held.

"I'm to leave in a week." Azula's voice cut through the room swiftly.

"Leave?" Ty Lee barley whispered completely caught off guard by the announcement. Azula only nodded in response, keeping her face expressionless. "Why?" Her voice cracked causing the acrobat to mentally berate herself.

"He wants me to kill the Avatar since Zuko is too weak to do so himself." She spat out her brother's name like it was a curse. This was his fault after all. It should have been an honor to kill the Avatar, yet Azula felt as though she was being punished. "Can't even take care of a child," she mumbled bitterly to no one in particular as she silently damned the imbecile that she had the misfortune to be related to. The way her father had worded her task, as he called it, made it seem as though she was getting punished for his mistakes.

How is it that all of Zuko's shortcomings always end up on her shoulders. She triumphs where he fails, she is perfect in all the ways that he is not. Why then is it that her father continues to push her, to test her beyond measure? She is the best heir anyone could ask for; a flawless military general, a prodigy of a fire bender, and wise beyond her years. She only bent her knee to her father, who shared the unfortunate coincidence of being the second born to a lesser man.

You would think he could sympathize with her, but no. He wanted Zuko, his firstborn, his son, his _true_ heir. But he was weak and the Fire Lord could not have his offspring running around, playing at war and embarrassing him, so instead he would send her to put an end to it. Although he may not have outright said it, she knew she was not allowed home unless she accomplished all that he asked of her. "He wants me to bring Zuko and Uncle home as well, either in chains or bags."

At first, Ty Lee thought she heard her wrong. Her voice had been so languid and apathetic as she spoke of taking her own family prisoner or killing them. It always scarred the acrobat when Azula was able to talk of such things as if stating the sky was blue. But she supposed that Azula's sense of right and wrong had been so warped by the Fire Lord, all she knew was success and failure and the latter was simply not an option.

No matter what, Azula would do whatever he asked of her. He played on her need for parental affection. Her mother favored Zuko and looked at Azula as if she were a monster. Well, the woman certainly did not help with that fact. She pushed Azula into the Fire Lord's waiting embrace, she was a prodigy and it was the only reason Ozai gave her thought. He was more than ready to fill her head with nonsense of blind obedience while he shaped her into his own personal weapon. Between her domineering father and uncaring mother, Azula never stood a chance. Ty Lee would forever hate them both for this.

"He's sending you to kill your brother and uncle?" the brunette yelled incredulously. "How can he ask you to do such a thing?" The usually calm aura reader was in a frenzy. Blasphemous thoughts raced through her head so quickly she could hardly separate one from another. "What kind of coward sends his daughter to do his dirty work?" She didn't realize she spoke aloud, till it was too late and she found an uneasy glance turned her way.

"Be carful," Azula impassively warned her friend of her near treasonous words, "he is the Fire Lord."

"I know. I'm sorry," she immediately apologized as sincerely as she could. "I just…I don't understand why he's sending _you_ to do this." She shut her eyes tight hoping to calm herself; anger would do her no good now. "He has an entire army willing to do anything he asks, why you?" Her tone had turned so soft and pleading it was almost pathetic.

Azula had waited for her friend to open her eyes before she spoke again. She was royalty and not fond of repeating herself. "Why shouldn't he?" she asked rhetorically. "I am the Princess, the heir to the throne. I need to make the hard decisions. It is my duty."

Whatever control Ty Lee had over her rage had fled. She spoke before she could stop to think what she was saying. "Its funny, I see your lips moving but I hear your father speaking." She regretted ever opening her mouth immediately and cursed whatever boldness or madness had caused her to speak so foolishly to the already angry princess.

Faster than humanly possible, she saw Azula's hand move towards her in a blur. All in one motion Ty Lee felt the fire benders burning grasp at her throat, nails digging into her skin, as she was thrown backwards onto the bed. She felt the air leave her lungs quickly as her back made sudden contact.

She could feel Azula's eyes bearing into her soul before she even got the chance to open hers. She gazed up at the bender silently begging for forgiveness, something Azula was not accustomed to handing out.

Time slowed, and Azula watched as Ty Lee began to slip from consciousness. She could almost see the darkness closing in on the girl. It was beautiful. A sadistic smile crept across her face as she felt the girls pulse drop dangerously low beneath her fingers. Her eyes had gone dazed and lidded and Azula thought she never looked prettier than she did just then. It would be all too easy to watch Ty Lee black out, but Azula never took the easy road. Where was the fun in that? She loosened her grip ever so slightly, just enough to allow the girl to gasp for the air she so desperately needed.

After catching her breath, Ty Lee didn't move. She passively awaited her punishment. It wouldn't take much, a hit here, a pinch there, and she could easily subdue the firebender. Azula was no fool, and although it hurt her pride, she knew the acrobat could render her body useless in seconds if she wanted. Anything out of arms length was Azula's game, but in such close contact, the princess could never win, Ty Lee was simply too fast.

This was the reason she chose Ty Lee all those years ago. She had watched her take down men twice her size as if brushing a fly off her shoulder. Even then she could recognize a threat when she saw one. The girl could do amazing things. "Keep your enemies close," her father had once told her, so she befriended the girl.

It was a hard task at first; everything the girl did set her teeth on edge. She was annoying, relentlessly happy, and blissfully stupid, always bouncing around, jabbering on endlessly about one thing or another. It had become a painfully difficult task to drown out the aura reader's shrill voice, one that never ceased, but once she had figured a way the girl's presence didn't annoy her so much. It didn't take her long to realize that the acrobat was no true danger to her, but the girl was eager to please so Azula kept her around.

When they had gotten older, Azula found a new fondness for the girl. Though she didn't know what it was at first, it did not take the prodigy long to figure it out and claim Ty Lee for her own in a way no one else had ever done before.

Ty Lee, fickle witless Ty Lee. So much like a flame herself, so beautiful and deadly, making it all the more easier for Azula to bend her will. She truly stood no chance. A few choice words and small gestures and the girl had been hers for the taking. With an orgasm to seal the deal Ty Lee had fallen in love so easily with the heartless princess that even Azula had to question it at first.

But Ty Lee was unable to lie, her large doe eyes saw to that. Azula could see the truth in them when those three words had foolishly left her lips, giving the princess more power than Ty Lee could ever know. The cunning prodigy immediately saw the benefit of having someone like the acrobat, who possessed such unique gifts, love her. She had been taught that loyalty could only be achieved through fear, but that daft acrobat had shown her otherwise. Loyalty through love was much more useful and trustworthy. Azula couldn't quite grasp the full meaning of love but she understood enough of it to see all of its advantages. This newfound adoration had solidified her loyalty in Azula's eyes and that was all that mattered.

However, her love had made Ty Lee daring and blinded her to the truth. She often overstepped her bounds, like she had done tonight, and Azula took pleasure in reminding the girl exactly who she was. But as she looked down at the acrobat, lying obediently beneath her, she could not bring herself to hurt her any more than she already had. Ty Lee had a slip of the tongue. She was such a stupid thing after all, it would be like kicking a baby moose-lion for nipping at you. It was in her nature to speak before she thought. Ty Lee didn't have a father like hers, who was unforgiving of such things. Azula never had the luxury of making mistakes, she was almost jealous of her imperfections. _Almost_.

She looked down into those giant childlike eyes that somehow held a long lost innocence and wondered how it was possible that Ty Lee had fallen in love with her. She was everything Azula was not. More accurately, all the good Azula was not. She tore her gaze away before she got lost in the answerless thought and released her grasp on the girl's throat.

The acrobat had a stray hair near her eye and Azula felt the strongest inclination to remove it. With a gentleness neither girl knew she had, Azula brushed it away letting her fingers get tangled in the acrobat's hair. She had left it down tonight, out of its traditional braid, and it was fanned out beneath her. Azula ran her hand through her hair once more so she could admire its silky feel.

She lit a small flame at her fingertip and let it stand, marveling in its beauty. Both pairs of eyes watched as the tiny flame danced atop her fingers. It was so small that it was almost white, you could barely pick out the blue tint hiding at its edges. She drew the flame downward to the acrobat's cleavage and let the flame loose on the pink garment. With only her eyes, she kept the fire in a slim line while it broke the fabric in two pieces.

On impulse she dangerously broke her concentration to look into those stupid grey colored eyes that could only be found on one person in all the Fire Nation, but Azula didn't find the fear she had been looking for. Instead they looked back at her in the most trusting manner. It crossed her mind to burn the girl just to teach her a lesson. But she didn't. For whatever reason, she extinguished the flame before it touched any skin.

The tiny pink bindings she had worn fell off her body almost immediately after it had been burned. Azula allowed a sly smile to escape when Ty Lee gasped as the cold air kissed her nipples, hardening them.

Her eyes drew further south along her stomach, her favorite part of the girl. For as tiny as acrobat was, she held all her strength in her core. Her stomach was flat and muscular, yet somehow remained feminine.

She ran her hands along the contours of each muscle and watched as they contracted beneath her touch. Her skin felt so smooth under Azula's calloused hands. The princess was overcome with a sudden bout of jealousy and raked her nails along her abdomen, leaving a trail of red marks in its wake. She marveled at those angry red lines and traced a finger gently along each of them causing Ty Lee to whimper in the most delirious way.

Her gold eyes bore into the gymnast's, daring her to make a sound again. But Ty Lee only returned that look with an expression Azula could only call desire. She was silently begging the princess for more using those lust-filled, stupid grey eyes.

As she reached the girl's womanhood she could already feel the heat radiating through her clothes. Ty Lee was ready for her, she could almost smell the arousal. She smirked inwardly. The acrobat always was such a whore, it never did take too much to get her riled up.

Azula slipped her hand below the waistband, not bothering to remove anything else. Just as she thought, Ty Lee was wet with desire. As her fingers brushed the moist entrance the acrobat let another delicious whimper escape. Except this time Azula was waiting for it. This time she wanted to hear it. She made the same motion deliberately ripping a moan from the girl's throat. She really was so easy to manipulate, it almost took the fun out of it.

She teased her lips before entering her quickly, causing the girl to curse out in surprise. Azula enjoyed hearing filthy words on Ty Lee's tongue almost as much as she did her own name as it was screamed out. There was just something about such innocence saying such naughty things that made her drunk with power.

A sinful smile crept across the firebender's face as soft moans fell on her ears. She loved being inside of Ty Lee. The feel of her slick velvet walls surrounding her fingers was ecstasy in itself. She was so, so tight. She drove her fingers in once again causing the acrobats eyes to roll backwards.

On the next thrust, Ty Lee bucked and it wasn't long before their rhythms synced up. The acrobat leaned up to kiss her lover but Azula turned her head away as she often did. She rarely allowed the acrobat's lips on her own, but that never stopped the optimistic girl from trying. She only wished for some small intimacy but Azula seldom consented. Ty Lee was not allowed to touch and when she did she got punished, yet she never stopped trying.

After being refused again, Ty Lee relented and began to work the firebender's neck instead. She found the girls pulse point and sucked tenderly. She was carful not to leave bruises as she tried her best to taste every inch Azula would allow. Her kisses turned more violent and passionate as Azula's strokes began to quicken. Unknowingly, one of her hands had found its way onto the benders breasts.

Azula wretched the acrobats roaming fingers away and pinned them down to the bed. She thrust in hard making the girl squirm. She thrust harder still until Ty Lee cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain. She felt the girl's breath ghost over her skin and before she could stop herself she shuddered. She was angry again. Whether at herself or Ty Lee she didn't know, she was just angry. So she began to thrust even harder and deeper. Each stroke caused another moan, another grunt, and another string of curses, all of which were music to the prodigy's ears.

Ty Lee shut her eyes in concentration and bit her lip in a failed attempt to silence herself. Her hands desperately reaching to take fistfuls of sheets in each of them. She was so close. Abruptly, Azula stilled, not quite ready to give the girl what she wanted. Those grey eyes snapped open immediately, trying her best to understand what was happening.

But Azula did nothing. She didn't remove herself from the girl's wet folds. She simply stopped moving, taking pleasure in the confused look on Ty Lee's face. She breathed in the heat rolling off the girl beneath her. What an interesting feeling it was to hold so much power, literally in her fingertips. It was intoxicating.

She had never just stopped before. Had never denied that lovely little tart the release she craved. She was vaguely aware of how selfish she was being in this moment, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Seeing the agonizing expression in the brunettes face was much too fascinating. Azula would not be so generous this time. She looked at that pitiful demeanor and smiled ruthlessly. This time the acrobat would have to beg if she wanted more.

And beg she did. It didn't even take long before Ty Lee's distraught voice filled the silence. She used such pretty words as she pleaded for more. She really could be such a _girl_ sometimes. She had seemed so weak as she begged for more. It was so very satisfying.

Azula didn't wait too long before continuing. Her thrusts returned to their original pace as Ty Lee's breath became ragged and she shut her eyes once more. She was close and this time Azula would not refuse her, she rather enjoyed seeing Ty Lee lose control of her body. She curled her fingers and pressed her thumb to the hardened nub. Ty Lee's walls clenched almost immediately. Azula continued to drive into the girl as she writhed beneath her.

One hand moved to tangle in her own hair as another gripped furiously at Azula's clothing. Her mouth was partially open and she could not stop the moans from escaping. Her back arched towards her lover while she rode out the intense waves of pleasure.

When she finally came down her body slumped in complete exhaustion. Being brought to the edge twice and only pushed over once had been an educating experience. Ty Lee had never come so hard or long before. The princess was always teaching her new things about her body.

When Azula pulled out of her, Ty Lee looked up through lidded eyes and watched as her princess examined her glistening fingers. Azula brought them closer and ran them across her lips before licking them. It was the most beautiful sight the aura reader had ever seen. Azula was high on the taste and paid no attention to her actions, degrading as they may be. The Princess was in a daze and Ty Lee had seen the opening she was hoping for.

She reached up to grasp the same fingers that were inside her only moments ago. Azula watched, thoroughly interested, as the girl brought them down to her own lips. The acrobat took the fingers into her mouth and licked them clean, her grey eyes never leaving Azula's. She intertwined their fingers as she brought a free hand to her princess' face and began to caress it. Azula sat frozen and confused but allowed the girl to do as she pleased just this once.

With a confidence she never knew she had, Ty Lee leaned in as close as possible without having their lips touch and as Azula made to turn her head, Ty Lee stopped her with the hand on her cheek. Looking into those molten golden eyes she found courage and closed the distance forcefully. Their kiss was hard and lip bruising, leaving no room for escape.

Azula nipped at her lip possessively to take control of the kiss but she had bit to hard, drawing blood and causing a startled Ty Lee to jump away. She had tasted it, the blood, and it drove her mad. For some reason she wanted more so she forcefully brought Ty Lee's face back to hers and captured those lips once again.

It was a different sensation to kiss Ty Lee and not be thoroughly repulsed by it. The kiss was unrestrained and the acrobat had returned it eagerly. She felt a tongue swipe across her lips. Using some instinct she didn't know she had she opened her mouth and allowed the acrobat's tongue to collide with her own. She could still taste the blood but it only seemed to drive her further into the lust that now controlled her body. But as always the overbearing acrobat had to take it too far. The moment those tiny hands grazed the bender's womanhood Azula had been brought back to her senses. She pushed the girl away so quickly that it seemed to take her a while to realize exactly what had happened.

Azula's icy voice cut through her like a newly sharpened blade, "You may leave now." It was worded as a courtesy but Ty Lee made no mistake in thinking it was anything other than an order. No matter, she couldn't help herself. There was a change in the princess tonight she could feel it. More importantly, she could see it in the other girl's aura.

"Azula," she pleaded softly. As rare as her smiles and her kisses were, being allowed to spend the night was rarer still. Azula didn't see the point in sharing her bed when Ty Lee could have her own, in her own room. The princess never saw the point in anything emotional, but the acrobat would never let go of her fantasy. Being the optimistic girl that she was, Ty Lee couldn't help but try on this night, where she had gotten farther with the girl she loved than ever before.

But as soon as she had said her name in that compassionate manner Azula turned to look at her with those cold, uncaring eyes that were usually reserved for others. "Leave!" she ordered with a fury that turned the candlelight blue again and made them rise a few inches. Remembering her place, the acrobat bowed, grabbed a robe, and made her way solemnly to the room she always slept in when she stayed at the palace.

This was how their relationship worked and the acrobat had come to terms with that when it had first started. Azula took and took and took where Ty Lee simply gave, that's how it always was. She just prayed to Agni that this wasn't how it always would be. She wanted to feel and know every part of her princess, as Azula had known her. She wanted to hear her name on the bender's lips as she brought about an orgasm. But most of all she wanted to feel the princess' love she was hell bent on proving existed.


	2. A Decision Made

Thank you to everyone who subscribed, favorited, and especially those of you who reviewed (yes I appreciate all 4 of you). haha

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><p>Her mind was calm and body still. She took a breath in and filled her lungs with the fire that she controled so well. She breathed out and felt her chi entering and connecting to the world around her. She is vaguely aware of a change in her atmosphere. There is another presence in the garden. Only one person would be stupid enough to interrupt her while she meditated. <em>Ty Lee.<em> She was pulled from her peace when the acrobat took a seat across the firebender. Whatever peace of mind Azula had, fled as her anger took over.

She could hear the delicate ruffling of clothing. It was irritating and she already knew exactly what it is. Her hand struck out as quick as a snake to still the shaking leg of her unwanted companion. Under the surprising weight of the princess' hand, Ty Lee stopped moving. A faint blush crept up to her cheeks though Azula could not see through her still closed eyes. She was determined to return to her meditation regardless of the annoying presence that had just planted itself across from her.

Azula lifted her hand slowly and returned it to her own lap. Although the acrobat could never keep still long enough to actually meditate, she always insisted on being with Azula as she did so. Her presence was never anything more than a nuisance; one which Azula looked at as a challenge and pointedly decided she would overcome.

She cleared her mind again and began to focus on her breathing. A single deep breath was all it took, years of discipline had made it so easy. She was still again, with only the slight rise and fall of her chest to hint at life.

Her mind was as sharp as ever and she began to prepare for her upcoming task. She would start with her useless brother and traitor uncle, that much was sure. The Avatar would be easy enough once she found him but taking Zuko and Uncle prisoner could prove to be a rather difficult task if she wasn't careful.

If it came to a fight she could take her brother easily enough but could she say the same for the Dragon of the West? That would surely cause more than a few unwanted burns and scars. She would need men and a lot of them. Still, would that be enough? _No. I must get them to come willingly._ But how?

A sound broke her concentration. The acrobat was moving again, but this time it was louder. _Agni only knows what she is doing now. _It was decided that Azula would need the girl to leave if she was ever going to be able to think properly. "Was there something you needed, Ty Lee, or are you purposely trying to ruin my meditation?" Her voice was sharp and seemed to startle the girl as it broke through the silence of the garden. "N-no. Of course not," the acrobat stuttered out immediately. Azula noted the strange distance of her voice even though she was sure the girl was directly across her.

Azula defiantly resisted the urge to open her eyes, determined that she would not be completely be pulled from her cause. "Then what is it?" Her voice was sweet now, sickeningly so. "Well," Ty Lee started apprehensively, "I was wondering what you wanted me to do, you know, before we leave."

The princess immediately stopped the smile that was threatening to form at her lips. She had decided the previous night to test her subject. It would be her choice whether or not she would join Azula on her mission. To be fair, it wasn't entirely her _choice_ but Azula was sure to make certain that Ty Lee thought it was.

"We?" she questioned in that same disgustingly saccharine voice, giving no hint to her inner thoughts. She could feel the slight panic rise in the acrobat as she began stumbling over the words she could not get out fast enough. "Yeah– yes! Of course 'we.' You can't think… I couldn't let you go off by yourself when… No you have to… I co-could…" She stopped speaking to take a breath and continued in a much softer voice, "help you. I can help. Please don't leave me here alone 'Zula." She was afraid now. "You-you're gonna take me with you right?"

This was more than Azula could have hoped for. Not only did Ty Lee want to come but she was begging to, so afraid to be away from her princess for too long. Even through closed eyes Azula could detect that fear growing inside of the acrobat. She had been taught every trick in the book and the slight wavering of her voice was a dead giveaway. She really was too easy to read.

"Of course." There was an edge to her voice and didn't do much to state the panic on Ty Lee's face. Giving up on any sense of quiet long enough to be able to meditate, Azula finally opened her eyes and couldn't stifle the smile this time as she took in the sight that greeted her.

An arms length away Ty Lee was upside down balancing on her head. Her legs were crossed in a similar fashion to Azula's and seemed to float effortlessly in the air. She shook her head almost disapprovingly but the smile she wore spoke differently. "You aren't completely useless." She hadn't meant for her comment to come out so backhanded but shrugged it off nonetheless. After all a tiger-dillo cant change its stripes.

Regardless, that stupid girl was so desperate for attention Azula could feel that large teeth bearing smile before she even saw it. The princess stood up swiftly and began to make her way out of the garden that she trained in. Ty Lee moved from her inverted position to a standing one with a gracefulness that not many could accomplish and obediently fell into step behind the princess.

They walked through the halls in silence. Rather, Azula walked in silence while Ty Lee happily skipped along humming a tune that the princess didn't recognize. She stopped mid stride and turned to find the acrobat close on her heels. "Enough!" Azula's cold voice commanded when she could not bear the noise for another second. The acrobat instantly stopped all movements and looked down sheepishly. "Sorry."

Rolling her eyes, Azula turned on heel and continued on. When she heard no footsteps behind her she spoke without turning, "Well, come on then." They continued the rest of the walk in true silence until she finally came upon the large doors leading to her room.

When they entered the palace servants were about. All but one left, Azula could slightly recall her. "Should I draw a bath, Princess?" _Of course, this was the girl who washed me. _Although, it was a bit annoying that she felt the need to ask every day, her schedule never changed. Azula gave a slight nod in response. "For you as well, Lady Ty Lee?"

"Sure. Thank you Rika," she replied in typical Ty Lee fashion. Azula rolled her eyes again. _Only Ty Lee would take the time to remember my servants' names. _Either way, the girl seemed to appreciate it as she bowed and made her way to the washroom quietly.

Azula turned to find Ty Lee standing uncertainly in the doorway. It was the first time she had gotten the chance to really take in the other girl's appearance. Ty Lee's hair was back in its traditional braid running down the center of her back. A smirk slowly crept across the princess' face when she noticed the tiny swell on the acrobat's lower lip. Reminding her of the bloody kiss they shared the previous night. She hadn't meant to bite quite so hard, but once she had a kind of lustfulness took over her and made her crave more.

Ty Lee brought a hand across her stomach and held her other arm at its elbow. That was when Azula had noticed the biggest change in the other girl, her clothes. This was one of the few times she had ever seen the girl in anything other than pink. On top of that, hardly any skin was showing. Ty Lee only ever wore enough to still be considered decent, but never more than that. She claimed that clothes restricted her movement. _Why then the sudden modesty?_

Azula thought over the many possibilities as Ty Lee shifted uncomfortably and began to chew her bottom lip. _Such a coarse nervous habit that she always had._ The acrobat suddenly winced when her teeth grazed the bruise Azula had left. Her golden eyes trailed down to Ty Lee's hidden stomach remembering the angry red lines she made when she dug her nails into the girls skin. _Did I really make that mark a lasting one?_ She didn't mean to, but then again she often hurt people without exactly meaning to. _I suppose that's what monsters do._ She gritted her teeth._ Mother always did say I was a monster._

They stood together in silence when the servant came back to inform them that their bath had been drawn. "Find someone to attend to Ty Lee as well," Azula ordered, never taking her eyes off the acrobat. The girl sauntered off in silence, as the two girls seemed to be locked in some sort of standoff, neither willing to break eye contact. It was intense in a way that Azula had never known before.

Although the room was void of any sort of noise, so much was said in those uniquely grey eyes. Azula could see every fleeting thought passing through the acrobat's mind. Before too much could be put into the process of dissecting every emotion written on the girl's face, the maiden returned with another and ushered them off.

They stood opposite each other, much like they had in Azula's room, and watched in silence as they were disrobed. Ty Lee's hair was being gently released from its braid as Azula's crown was carefully lifted from her topknot and placed aside. Her hair was pulled loose, it was nice to have it down, even if it was only for a little while.

Azula's armor was the next to go. Piece by piece it was pulled from her and placed on a mannequin for keeping. She didn't usually wear it when she was in the palace but preferred the extra weight it provided while she trained. Most of her armor was off by the time Ty Lee's hair was entirely free. The braid had crimped it in the most beautiful way as it flowed easy around her round face.

Azula's top was taken off next, leaving her bare to the waist. She could see Ty Lee gulp as she watched. She often wondered whether this was the only reason the acrobat always seemed to find her before she washed, so she could join. It was the only way she would see Azula exposed. The knot holding her bottoms up at her waist was being loosened when Ty Lee's top came off eliciting a gasp from the servant.

"What happened, My Lady?" The girl's eyesight was drawn to the four lines tarnishing Ty Lee's silky skin. _I guess I was right. She was hiding my immorality._ Now the attention of Azula's servant was on the girl as well.

She looked nervous. Ty Lee was never good under pressure so Azula couldn't help but make the girl squirm just a bit more, if only to test her. "Yes, Ty Lee, tell us. What happened?" She spoke without concern although it contradicted her true thoughts. The princess was anxious to see what Ty Lee would come up with.

For the briefest of moments fear washed over the acrobat's face before she composed herself and brought her eyes up to meet Azula's. That look alone was worth it all. Azula craved fear in others eyes but rarely saw it Ty Lee anymore. It was a nice change.

Without breaking contact with Azula the acrobat answered coolly. "You know how I love animals, Kya." The girl nodded. _Of course she knows her name as well._ "I guess I got a little too close to the cages and a Vulture-Griffin took advantage and swiped at me." The servants gasped and Ty Lee finally broke eye contact with Azula while she finished her story. Her voice had returned to its cheerful nature, "But it was so cute I couldn't help it. I had to hide it from the guards though because I didn't want him to get punished for my mistake. Besides, he barely scratched the surface. See…" She stuck her stomach out as the girls went to take a closer look.

As Ty Lee gabbed on going into amazing detail, Azula tried to find holes in the story to point them out but there was an explanation for every one. The wound was obviously fresh but her father kept a few exotic animals in the palace, a Vulture-Griffin being one of them. She had already mentioned that no one saw it and attended to why it wasn't a fatal wound.

Azula had always known Ty Lee wasn't quite as stupid as she led everyone to believe but this was a pleasant surprise. Had she not already known the truth, even Azula might have been fooled. For once even those explicit grey eyes didn't betray her, but Azula caught sight of the rapidly pulsing artery on her slender neck. If the acrobat hadn't moved her hair out of the way she wouldn't have been able to find a single flaw in her lie, but as it were Ty Lee could still not deceive properly. Sure to the untrained eye it was fine but if she was going to join her on her mission that might prove to be a problem.

They were examining Ty Lee when Azula decided she had enough. "Yes, yes. It is quite the tragedy." Her point came clear across as the girls got back to work undressing what little was left. Ty Lee was wearing a rather triumphant smile when her eyes found Azula's but it faded quickly when she realized just how exposed the princess was.

Azula knew she was beautiful, she was royalty after all, but the way Ty Lee always looked at her made her feel something she couldn't quite put a name to, she only knew that she enjoyed it. Shrugging it off she let herself be led into the steaming water followed by a naked Ty Lee who winced as the water touched her stomach.

It was almost torture for Ty Lee to watch Azula get washed. To see someone else touch the skin she might never get to. "I want to leave as soon as possible." Azula's head was tilted back exposing her throat as she spoke. "I'm going to take my Naval ship along with the Royal Procession and see if I can convince my dear brother to come back voluntarily."

Ty Lee watched her throat move with each word, barely listening to what the princess was actually saying. It was too much of a temptation so the acrobat shut her eyes to keep from doing something stupid. It was so hard to see and not be allowed to touch. _So why do I continue to torture myself?_ Trying to shake the thoughts from her head she opened her eyes to find Azula looking at her with that amused smirk she wore so well.

"How do you know where to go?" the acrobat asked, not doing a very good job of hiding the tremble in her voice. Tilting her head back so the girl could resume massaging her scalp, Azula gave full view of her throat once again. "They've been spotted on one of the outlying islands. The fools aren't doing a very good job of hiding."

_She's doing it on purpose._ Suddenly realizing the princess' intentions, Ty Lee tried her best to act as if the prodigy wasn't getting to her. She made sure to perk up the sound of her voice. "Great, so when are we leaving?" Ty Lee could swear she saw a ghost of a smile grace her princess before it was quickly removed.

"It should only take a couple of days to ready the ship and the Imperial Guard," Azula deadpanned, suddenly bored with the conversation. Whatever games the princess had been playing were now over and the rest went along in a comfortable silence.

When Azula was cleaned, dried, and dressed, she turned back to find the servants still fawning over the acrobats stomach. The aura reader was trying to get the girls to leave her be but it was no use, they wouldn't let up. She could already see that Azula was angry at the attention and tried to give an apologetic smile but only a scowl was returned. "I'll be busy until we leave. You should get yourself together and I'll call on you when the ship is ready." Azula left without another word. _What she means is... 'Don't bother me until then Ty, I don't want to see you.'_ She dismissed the servants and got dressed bitterly before taking her leave as well.


	3. A Terrible Beauty

The plan was simple. Yesterday Azula found her brother and told him some story about the Fire Lord wanting him to come home. She seemed to think that Zuko and her Uncle fell for it and would be arriving sometime today. Supposedly they would board the ship freely and when they got far enough out to sea Azula would have them thrown into the brig. So now it was just a waiting game.

Ty Lee had been told to stay in a room in the tower and watch but she had an unsettling feeling that something was going to go wrong. It just seemed _too_ easy. She wanted to be down on the deck with her princess but Azula was sure that she would unintentionally expose the truth. Ever the obedient soldier, the acrobat stayed perched at the window in her quarters and anxiously watched for any sign of movement.

She had been sitting there for hours just waiting. She had the fleeting thought that it was probably the longest time she had ever kept still but she was far too tense to be doing anything else. She could see in her aura that Azula was worried as well. As nice as General Iroh always seemed to Ty Lee, she knew better than to believe in appearances.

She had heard all the stories. The General was known as the Dragon of the West, one of the few men with such an honorable title. He was a war hero and one of the greatest fire benders alive. Ty Lee was afraid. Even surrounded by all her Imperial Guards, Azula could still be hurt. Although they were made up of some of the best firebenders in the world, they would still be no match. Legends say that even at his weakest General Iroh could take out 15 men with ease.

All Ty Lee wanted was to be with her princess. Standing at her side, ready to stop any threat. She knew she would never get close enough to actually do any damage to the Dragon of the West, but she might be able to distract him long enough to allow Azula the chance to deal a fatal blow.

_What am I here for if not to protect her?_ She let out a frustrated breath and saw movement out in the distance. Her body turned ridged as she found Azula amongst her guards below, ordering them into a place.

She fought the temptation to disobey and join them on the deck. Azula was afraid that the acrobat would give it away. _If I did that, I'd be putting her into more danger._ Her fists clenched tightly as she waited for the two people in the distance to close knew Azula was right, she always was, but it didn't make it any easier to sit and watch.

She was focusing on the commotion below intently. They would be walking on the dock any second now. Her eyes narrowed and she saw Azula step to the edge of the gangplank and clasp her hands elegantly behind her back, looking every inch the princess she was. "Brother, Uncle, welcome. I am so glad you decided to come." Her voice held an alluring tone. Azula could be charming when she wanted to be. She even bowed to them as she spoke, as if their titles had been reinstated. _The devil is in the details._ Ty Lee smiled as she watched Azula's cunning in action.

"Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?" Ty Lee could barely hear the man as he spoke, his voice didn't carry quite like Azula's did. The guards behind Zuko and General Iroh fell into line behind them.

"Set our course for home, Captain." She could hear the smile on Azula's lips as she spoke. A huge sigh of relief swept over her when Zuko took a gracious step forward onto the gangplank. He looked so relieved that Ty Lee actually felt bad for him. _This was exactly what Azula must have been afraid of._

It was almost over; the Captain was leading them up to the ship barking orders to ready for departure. All they had to do now was get out to open ocean and they would be home free. Even if Iroh got the best of the guards there would be nowhere for him to run.

"You heard the princess," the captain said fairly louder than he had when he first spoke. "Raise the anchors. We are taking the prisoners home." His face contorted as he realized his mistake. Ty Lee felt her pulse pick up immediately. _Damn it! We were so close._ This is exactly what she was afraid of happening.

Everyone took action immediately. It all happened so fast Ty Lee could barely keep up. Just as expected, Iroh had already taken out 3 guards and was working on the fourth. You could never tell his age in that moment. By looking at him, you might have said he was an out of shape old man, but now, as he defeated another guard and turned to fight two more at the same time, you could see where he got his reputation from.

Ty Lee really shouldn't have been all that surprised. He was in the royal family after all. In fact, he was a firstborn, he was supposed to be the next Fire Lord. He was probably trained just as rigorously as Azula, he certainly moved with the same grace she did.

Her attention was brought back to Zuko as he charged forward with accusations on his tongue. She could no longer hear anything that was being said over all the commotion but Azula waved him off and stepped back onboard with two benders guarding the entrance.

She leaned as far out of the window as possible and caught Azula's golden eyes silently begging for permission to come down and join her. The princess only grinned and shook her head in the negative. Ty Lee wanted nothing more than to beg and ask for an explanation but Azula's attention had been brought back to her brother who quickly disposed of the two Imperial Guards. _He is a royal too,_ she thought ruefully at the ease he got through them.

Now she was really afraid. From what she remembered Zuko was never up to Azula's standards when it came to well, anything really. However, he had been gone for almost 3 years now, training under the hand of General Iroh himself.

Zuko conjured duel flaming daggers that Ty Lee had never seen before. She might have thought it impressive if they were not about to be used to attack her princess. He lunged to close the distance between them and Azula didn't make a single move. She was standing upright with her hands still clasped behind her back. _Why isn't she in a stance? What is she doing?_

Ty Lee watched in a terrified state as Zuko reached her and tried his attack. Azula blocked it with ease. He brought a flaming dagger around and Azula simply brushed it aside. He tried the same move again with the other hand and this time she caught it and pushed him backwards nearly knocking him off balance.

He was obviously out of breath where Azula still looked as calm and relaxed as ever. She was saying something again, it looked as though she was baiting him. Zuko quickly dropped into a firebending stance, bringing his daggers back, and launched. He swept his leg up and sent a flaming wheel towards her. Azula deflected it smoothly and even managed a smirk.

Every attack he tried she either blocked or avoided without difficulty. She was dancing around him. Never dealing a single blow. This was a strategy the acrobat had perfected. She wasn't a bender so she had to learn to fight though other means. She wondered absentmindedly if she looked half as aesthetic as Azula did while she fought.

Zuko was exhausted and erratic. It was almost funny to watch as he defeated himself. His attacks were getting sloppier by the second. They were ill-timed and weak. Azula caught his hand again and pulled him off balance. For the first time in the day Ty Lee could see the beautiful blue flames that belonged to her princess.

Zuko was stunned as he fell to the floor. The princess only stood there and watched him as he struggled to get up. The acrobat took notice of Azula's conflicting aura. She seemed to pity her brother but even Ty Lee knew that would not save him. Her pity for him was nowhere near her loyalty to her father.

Without further delay, the prodigy made big sweeping motions with both of her arms. She seemed resolute in her decision; Azula would never choose anyone over her father. Lightning crackled all around her, it might have been beautiful if it wasn't so tragic.

She brought fourth two fingers aimed directly at her brother and released her hold on the deadly energy. But before it had a chance to leave her body Azula's hand was taken by her Uncle's as he altered its destination. It shot towards the cliff immediately shattering it, bringing tons of loose rock down into the ocean below. She couldn't help but wonder what that kind of energy would have done if it hit human flesh but Ty Lee silently hoped that she would never find out.

After Iroh had deflected Azula's attack, Ty Lee watched in horror as he mounted one of his own, knocking the princess off board and into the treacherous waters below. No longer able to keep still, Ty Lee jumped out of the window to a lower room of the tower and slid the rest of the way down till she reached the deck.

She ran off the dock and to the beach below, passing wounded soldiers the entire way. There were so many of them all either hurt or worse, and Ty Lee didn't like to think about that. She ran harder not caring about the hurt men. Only one face was flashing in her mind. In that moment only one person's safety mattered.

She had reached the beach just as Azula was coming onshore. The princess was sopping wet and her aura was a flaming red. Angry or not, she was alive and that was all the acrobat cared about as she tackled her and hugged her furiously.

Her eyes were stinging with unshed tears as she held on to her princess for dear life. "I was so scared." Azula did not reply and stood stiffly in the girl's embrace. "Please don't ever make me do that again," Ty Lee pleaded as she wiped furiously at a tear that managed to escape.

Azula pushed her away and looked at the aura reader with a confused expression. "I'm fine, Ty Lee." The acrobat nodded quietly and rubbed away another tear that disobediently fell down onto cheek. Azula's eyes narrowed. "Why are you crying? Are you hurt?" Despite her obvious anger, she was speaking in the soft tone that was only meant for Ty Lee now.

The acrobat shook her head. "I'm just relieved is all." Azula's bewildered look grew as she tilted her head questioningly to the side, "But we failed. Why are you relieved?"

"I know. I'm sorry about that, but sometimes there are more important things." She smiled sadly when Azula still didn't understand what she was trying to say. She took an uncertain step forward and had to actively stop herself from grabbing Azula's face in her hands and kissing those beautiful red lips.

"Your Uncle… When he – I thought he was going to…" She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to think of the right thing to say. She was angry that she could never articulate what she meant when she needed to. "I'm just glad you're okay," she finally blurted out.

Now Azula just looked uncomfortable. Ty Lee stood in awkward anticipation for the rejection that was soon to come. The princess only cleared her throat and ran a hand through her messy wet locks. "Yes, well… We should head back to the ship. I have a matter that needs to be addressed." She walked pass Ty Lee and headed straight for the ship. _Well, that wasn't quite so bad._ She released a breath she didn't know she was holding as she followed the bender back to the docks.

She could visibly see the change in Azula's demeanor. The air around her was filled with steam as she raised her body temperature to evaporate the water clinging to her skin. She was practically breathing fire.

When they got onboard they found that everyone was either being hauled off or attended to. She watched Azula's aura spike again, returning to the same anger that it held when she first got out of the water. _I feel bad for the Captain._ All the soldiers that Ty Lee thought were dead were conscious now. Somehow the General took out all of these men without really hurting a single one of them. Even Ty Lee was surprised.

When the Guard noticed Azula they all fell to their knees and bowed till their foreheads touched the ground. Ty Lee could see fear in every one of their auras, but none so bright as the man on the end. Azula walked slowly past every one of them and stopped when her toes where close to his head. His fear increased instantly and that's when the aura reader realized that he was the captain.

"Get up, fools," she commanded. Everyone stood quickly and captain looked down in shame. He was much taller than Azula but in that moment she towered over him. "Somebody seize this man!" All the soldiers hesitated and looked at each other, struggling to follow an order against their captain. But Azula would have none of it. "Now!" she ordered again, her voice cracked through the silence like thunder.

The two closest to her jumped up and grabbed the Captain and forced him back on his knees before the princess. The man was so afraid it saddened the aura reader. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness," he pleaded, "It was an accident. Please forg-"

"Shut up." Azula cut him off before he had a chance to beg any further. He whimpered at the acidity in her voice. _Idiot. He has no chance if she loses respect for him._ An evil smile crept across the princess' lips. _Too late._ "Now what am I going to do with you?" she pondered aloud.

"Maybe a few lashes?" She created a blue fire whip and brought it down just beside his body in a demonstration. He flinched, giving Azula the reaction she wanted. _He's going to get himself killed._ Her whip evaporated. "No that would be too easy."

Everyone was in a cold silence as Azula deliberated his punishment. "Do you even know what you did?" she asked sharply. He opened his mouth to reply but Azula spoke before he had the chance, effectively cutting him off once again. "You ruined my _one_ chance to capture my traitor brother and uncle, which were direct orders of the Fire Lord." She smiled again, that devastatingly destructive smile. _Oh no._

"Perhaps I should send you to him." Her voice was disgustingly sweet again. "Yes, maybe I should let him deal with you." The captain dropped to the ground and began to sob. "N-n-no. Pl-please, Princess. Have mercy." You could barely understand anything he said through his crying.

He started to crawl forward reaching for Azula's shoe and tried to kiss it but she only kicked him away. The wind whipped through her hair, which had been pulled free of its traditional topknot, making her look beautiful. Beautiful and terrible. It was how Ty Lee imagined the Angel of Death might look. "You're absolutely correct." He stopped sobbing and looked up at Azula with hopeful eyes. _False hope. _

"Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you." He was at her feet again consistently voicing his gratitude.

The princess looked down at him with disgust and scoffed while stepping out of his reach. "You are far too pathetic. My father would probably have _me_ whipped for wasting his time with the likes of you." She paused to glance halfheartedly at her nails while she pretended to think over her next move. Ty Lee only shook her head at the theatrics. _She's known what she was going to do to him the moment he started crying._

"I suppose death would be a sufficient punishment." His eyes grew wide along with everyone else's on deck. "How would you prefer to die?" she asked quickly before he had the chance to start begging again. When he fell to the ground crying her laughter tore through the gasps of surprise the rest of the crew made. Ty Lee felt sick. "How about the old fashion way?" she asked through her earsplitting laughter. "I was always fond of rolling heads." She turned away when she heard Azula ask for a sword.

_She's going to do it herself? _Suddenly terrified, Ty Lee turned back to find the guards leading their captain over to a table where Azula could properly remove his head. He was bent over and Azula lifted the sword still smiling. _No. No. No. _"Wait!" Ty Lee yelled at the last minute.

All attention was turned to her and she suddenly felt very small. Azula was frowning as she awaited an explanation. Every gear was running through her mind as she tried to think of any possible way out of the mess she just got herself in. "Is there something you would like to say, Ty Lee?" She brought the sword back down and rested its tip carelessly in the ground, leaning against its hilt.

"Maybe he should get a punishment more befitting to his crime," she offered, trying to buy more time to think while hoping beyond hope that the fire in Azula's aura would calm. "What exactly are you suggesting?" Azula handed the sword to a guard next to her and took a step towards Ty Lee.

For the first time in a long time Ty Lee was afraid, really afraid, of Azula. The princess had let her get away with little things before but now she just undermined her authority in front of the Imperial Guard. The cold disappointed look in her eyes scared her more than anything so she turned her gaze away and landed on the captain's pleading eyes, encouraging her to continue.

"He misspoke," she started, an idea coming to mind. "So maybe we should make sure that will never happen again." Azula silently waited for her to continue. She swallowed hard and tried to force the words she really didn't want to say out of her mouth. A bitter taste enveloped her as she continued. "Instead of taking his life, you should take his…" She shut her eyes tight and reminded herself that this might be the only chance to save his life. "You should take his tongue." It came out just barely above a whisper. Had it not been completely silent on the deck she might not have been heard. As it were, she thanked Agni that she would not have to repeat herself.

Azula's gaze softened as a smirk took over. "What an excellent idea. You," she pointed randomly at one of the masked guards standing in line. He took a small step forward and removed his helm before bowing at the waist. Ty Lee couldn't help but notice how handsome he is, even if he did look as if her were about to faint. "What is your name?" Her voice is sweet again, yet still sharp as her whip had been.

"K-keiji, Your Highness." The poor guy was shaking like a leaf.

"Quit stuttering and stand up straight." It was almost funny how Azula managed to put fear into all of these grown men who were supposed to be the greatest warriors in all the Fire Nation. "Remove his tongue for me. Then strip him of whatever titles he holds and take them for yourself." His expression turned surprised as he bowed in gratitude. Azula was never known for her generosity. "Congratulations, you've just been promoted." She turned on heel and headed for her quarters in the tower. "For your sake I hope you don't screw up," she added in just before she got out of earshot.

Ty Lee quickly followed. She didn't wish to see the gruesome fruits of her labor. As she walked away she caught sight of the former captain who looked back at her with something she could only call appreciation. _I guess, I did save his life. And I stopped Azula from doing something horrible._ But she still could not shake the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She hated when that part of Azula showed itself, making her look like a monster. Hopefully she would always be there to protect Azula, even from herself. _Especially from herself._ She wondered if she could still love the princess who could murder someone so easily. She had a sickening feeling that the answer would be yes. _I would love her no matter what._ She would just have to try her best to keep it from happening.

* * *

><p>Foresight anybody?...<p> 


	4. A Rising Sun

She could feel it calling to her, a silent whisper to her chi. Her skin was alive with a tingling sensation and she could feel her blood coursing through her body. She was never more aware of herself than in these few moments.

She was slowly being pulled from her slumber. It would be dawn soon and the sun demanded its presence be known.

As the first rays of light peaked through her small window, Azula breathed in the newfound heat and relished in it. She got out of bed and headed to the deck to properly see and feel the source of all life as it rose to watch its servants below.

It climbed over the horizon quickly and lit her body up. She felt strong, almost invincible. A soft glow enveloped her skin and an undeniable need to bend overtook her. She dropped into a stance. It felt so right, so easy. Like a second nature.

In that moment all her problems were washed away. In didn't matter that her brother and uncle were traitors. It didn't matter that her insatiable father had ordered her to hunt them down. It didn't matter that she already failed once. None of it mattered. All that mattered was the sun.

Her hands were brought to her chest while she focused on the chi flowing through her like the calm before the storm. It was absolutely invigorating. Without warning, she thrust both hands out on either side of her, palms facing outward. It only took a second before a blue orb of fire surrounded her completely, cutting her off from the rest of the world.

She was the center of her own universe now. She created her own sun, a beautiful and deadly blue sun. The heat was overwhelming and seemed to flood all of her senses. Her lungs began to scream when her inferno turned on her and stole all the oxygen in her new oasis. It was painful but she kept it up a little longer, if only for a few more seconds of euphoria.

Her hands dropped to her side so she could watch her flame fade away. She took a deep breath to satisfy her burning lungs and exhaled just as slowly. She would not let it falter; she controlled fire not the other way around.

The sun was calling to her again, begging for more. Everyone always wanted _more_ but she wouldn't refuse, she couldn't refuse. She crouched low and pounced abruptly, sweeping her leg up and forcing a blue arc forward. A half spin brought her other leg around for a follow through before an extended fist landed the would be kill blow.

She moved into another stance fluidly and kicked a leg forward sending a blue flame before her. Years of strenuous practice had made it effortless. She didn't stop there; it still wasn't enough. She kept on until blue streams of light decorated the sky and the metal deck was glowing in places where her intense flame had touched.

She found herself standing on the edge of the ship looking down at the treacherous waters below. She absolutely hated the ocean. It served her no purpose. Really the only people it did serve were waterbenders, and they were as worthless as it came. The element they were born to control didn't hold power like those of the Fire Nation. _We were meant to rule and they were meant to submit. _

She could admit, though not aloud, that even earthbenders had some function. But the Water Tribes were useless. When she came to power, she vowed to make sure those spineless blue-clad water lovers would follow the Air Nomads into nonexistence. She had no intention of ruling over the weak, she would extinguish them. She would melt their frozen wall and burn them all. She would show them what true power is.

The thought brought a smile to her face while she continued watching the waters lap at her navel ship, reaching up to pull her in. She scoffed. _You cannot touch me here_. Then, she abruptly flipped backwards sending a powerful wall of flame over the sea. She landed perfectly and took a moment to marvel in its beauty as it grazed over the water. Her fire held a much richer color than that of the sea.

The sun had risen high in the sky now, smiling down on its prodigy. She had lost track of time. Her muscles were every bit on fire as the sun above her. She breathed in deeply and brought her hands together to center her energy, ready to end the morning properly.

With two pointed fingers on each hand, she began the motions that had been burned into her mind so long ago. She brought them around her body swiftly creating a powerful circuit of electricity. _Father always was so proud of my lightning._

Not quite ready to release it, she kept the current flowing around her. It crackled and zapped, just begging to be freed. She could almost hear its cries as if it were talking to her, whispering sweet praise directly into her ear. It was exhilarating to create but even more so to release.

In a quick motion she extended her hand upwards unleashing it towards the sky. Everything went dark for a brief moment until a blinding flash of light engulfed the ship and an ear piercing roar rang in her ears. A lesser person might have looked away or covered their ears, but not the princess. She watched in amazement as her power swallowed the world around her. It felt like a lifetime before it faded and when it did, Azula only stood tranquilly staring up at the sky.

That was by far the most powerful burst of energy she ever created. It would have shaken the earth had they been on land. As it were, the sky looked angry and the sea had changed to a raging nightmare, promising death to all who entered. It seemed that she angered the gods. _Good._ She had never placed much faith in them anyway.

When she finally did turn, she found most of the crew watching, awestruck. With no visible expression, she walked past them and up to the top of the tower to find Ty Lee waiting for her.

She took a seat on the cushion next to the acrobat and crossed her legs. Ty Lee was staring at her with slightly parted lips but said nothing. _How unlike her._ Ignoring the girl's odd behavior, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing again. She waited for the quiet to take over but it never did. She couldn't silence her mind that was still reeling from the mornings practice.

Her thoughts fell to the day she fought her brother. She hesitated when it came time to end it. She had him right where she wanted him and then she hesitated. Even worse, she only charged her lightning after she seen her uncle making his way towards them and she couldn't decide on the reason why she did so. _Was I counting on him somehow stopping me?_

She let out a frustrated breath and tried to think more rationally. _I didn't even know it was possible to do… whatever it was he did to stop me._

She shuddered when she thought of what her father would have done had he witnessed her momentary weakness. He most certainly would have reminded her exactly what happens when she disappointed him. Then she would need to spend days with the healers to ensure his _lesson_ wouldn't leave a permanent mark. _It wouldn't be the first time,_ she thought regretfully. At least her father afforded her that luxury; Zuko would be stuck with his for the rest of his life.

It was a lose-lose situation. This mission set her up for failure, she was sure of it. If she had killed Zuko the Fire Lord would blame her jealousy for taking his firstborn. But hesitation and not following orders was cause for painful discipline. She couldn't kill him and she couldn't _not_ kill him, so she would be forced to capture him somehow, but that looked impossible now.

She shook her head furiously and opened her eyes to look for a distraction from her failure. Ty Lee was looking at her worriedly. Surely, the girl would be reading her aura or some such nonsense, and knew how the princess was feeling at that moment. That little trick of hers was little more than a nuisance to the princess.

The acrobat opened her mouth to speak but Azula rushed in quickly before she got the chance to ask what was wrong. "I need you to distract me." She placed a hand on the acrobat's knee as she spoke and Ty Lee lit up at the rare show of intimacy, forgetting the problem at hand, just as Azula had set out to do. She eagerly began to look for a distraction when her gaze landed on the sky above her.

Her uniquely grey eyes found Azula's and a shy smile crossed her lips before asking the princess to lie back. Azula looked at her questioningly but the acrobat was already moving to lie down so she followed suit, placing her head on the pillow she had previously been sitting on. She looked up at the sky to find that it had calmed immensely.

Ty Lee scooted over till she was as close as can be without actually touching. "Before you shot your lightning and scrambled everything all up, I was looking at the clouds." She turned to face Azula who was rolling her eyes. "One of them looked just like a Rabaroo, ears and all. Oh it was so cute." She always spoke so animatedly that someone might even mistake the things she said for something important. But almost nothing Ty Lee ever said was important.

"Is this how you spend your free time, Ty Lee? Finding animals in clouds?" Her words were mocking although she was slightly amused.

"Of course not silly. It isn't just animals, you can find anything in the clouds," the acrobat scolded before turning her attention back on the clouds above her. "See that one there?" She pointed up at a fairly large cloud. "It looks just like your palace."

Deciding she would humor the girl, Azula looked up at the cloud she was pointing at and tried to find the palace hiding within it. She squinted and turned her head to the side but all she could see was a white puff. She strained her eyes before getting frustrated and turning back to the girl beside her. "It's just a cloud. I don't see anything."

A small giggle made its way to Azula's ears. "That's because you're trying too hard. Just look at the cloud and you will see it." Azula huffed out in annoyance. _'Look and see' she says. Does she think I wasn't looking? _Biting back a snide comment, she did as the acrobat bid and _looked._

Her golden eyes were fixed on that one cloud, willing it to take the shape of her palace, but nothing happened. She fought the urge to get up and leave and tried again. _If someone as simple minded as Ty Lee can see a palace, than I should be able to as well._

At some point she had stopped blinking, because it was distracting her from her goal. Her eyes began to sting but she held strong. She wouldn't give in, not until she saw the stupid palace. _I will not fail._ She repeated the thought over and over in her head whileshe focused every ounce of will to no avail. Ty Lee began snickering, breaking her concentration, causing angry golden eyes to fall on the amused form of the girl next to her.

"What is so funny?" Azula snapped icily.

Ty Lee slowly brought herself out of laughter and reached over to touch the princess softly. Azula flinched, causing a sad smile to make it's way across the aura reader's face. "You have to relax." Her usually shrill voice had taken on an alluring tone, something like that of a siren's. It was so soothing, so unlike Ty Lee, but she didn't entirely hate it.

"I am relaxed!" Azula argued a little more forcefully than she had meant to, marking her words false. Ty Lee stifled a giggle when Azula's golden eyes dared the girl to laugh at her once more.

"No you aren't." She gestured to the princess' stiff body. "Look at you. Your muscles are tense, your arms crossed, your eyes are squinty, and your eyebrows are all squished together. You are the furthest thing from relaxed. You are…" she pursed her lips thoughtfully, "unrelaxed?" It sounded more like a question than an accusation but the acrobat seemed proud of herself nonetheless.

Azula purposefully uncrossed her arms and threw them angrily at her side. "You see, I'm relaxed now and I still don't see anything." Still gazing intently at the sky she didn't notice when Ty Lee moved closer so that their bodies lightly grazed one another's.

"You know, I can help you relax." It was whispered directly into Azula's ear, startling her back to reality. She sat up instantly and looked down accusingly at Ty Lee who was wearing an impish smile. "What _exactly_ are you doing?" the princess asked with an evident bite to her words.

"I'm helping you," the acrobat replied simply before sitting up to join the prodigy. She moved close again and leaned in so she could whisper once more. "You trust me, don't you?" Her lips grazed Azula's ear as she spoke and the princess found herself being pulled back down. She allowed it. If she trusted anyone, it would be Ty Lee.

Azula lie on her back and felt a calm wash over her as Ty Lee continued murmuring into her ear. Whatever words the acrobat had been whispering quickly lost meaning and melted together. She peered back up at the clouds and continued her quest but the cloud Ty Lee had originally pointed to was gone, she instead began looking for any shape in any cloud. _Really, this cant be too hard at all. _

Suddenly, she realized Ty Lee was no longer saying anything as her lips had busied themselves just under the princess' ear. She had meant to stop her immediately but the words caught in her throat. It felt surprisingly good. This wasn't the first time the girl had done it, of course, but Azula had been too preoccupied all the other times to really take notice to just how good it felt.

Ty Lee nipped tenderly at the prodigy's pulse point before placing a soft kiss to it. Azula could feel her eyes beginning to close while she hopelessly fought against it. Ty Lee moved so that her body was flush against Azula's, letting her feel every soft curve and magnifying every little move.

A fire started deep in her belly and spread throughout her entire body till her skin felt as if she had accidently set it aflame. Her clothes felt heavy, and itchy, and just plain uncomfortable, and she wanted nothing more than to rip it off so she could feel the cool sea breeze on her heated flesh. She felt alive in a way she never had before. Every nerve in her body was tingling and just begging to be touched.

Ty Lee's hand snaked around her stomach and began to play with the clothes hiding it. She could feel the acrobat's soft hand brush against her stomach and she desperately wanted more. More of this thing she had never experienced before. She was like a child trying sweets for the first time, it could never be enough, and she would never be satisfied.

She could vaguely hear a voice inside her head screaming at her to stop this immediately but she was afraid if she opened her mouth she would only ask for more, or worse, make those wonderfully disgraceful noises Ty Lee made when Azula would take her. She tried to push her away but her body would not respond, it didn't want to. It was like she was somehow paralyzed but could still feel everything. _Did Ty Lee do something to me? Was she even capable of-_

All thought ceased when Ty Lee had kissed her way along her jaw and landed on the Azula's lips. It wasn't like their last kiss, Ty Lee was gentle where Azula was violent, but the gentleness wasn't enough for the princess. She leaned up into the kiss forcing her lips against the acrobat's harder. She opened her mouth and tried to nip at her but Ty Lee pulled away at the last second.

Before the princess could force the girl into submission, Ty Lee brought her lips back to her neck and began to do something with her tongue that made Azula lose her train of thought once again.

She could still feel the girl's hand still caressing her stomach but Azula noticed the aura reader was carful not to move to high or to low. Usually she would not allow such things to take place but right now she was sure if the girl tried she would not deny her. She wanted it.

In fact, she was sure Ty Lee could ask her anything and the prodigy might be compelled to do so. She felt so out of control and she _hated_ being out of control, but with Ty Lee it was almost okay. It scared her.

When she was younger she had heard the stories of the downfall of great men and they almost always started with a woman. She had not truly understood before this moment.

_Women are not to be trusted, especially those who share your bed._ She had overheard a guard say that one night and took it as a compliment. Even at a young age Azula knew she was the superior gender. She was a girl, a princess, and that made her smarter, more cunning, more beautiful, and more exceptional in every way.

It was only partially true that men ruled the world because they all shared the same weakness: women. Although men may stand at the top of a pyramid it was the woman standing behind him that held the true power. She would make him fall in love with her and like the fools men are, they would fall fast and hard. It would only be a matter of time before that woman began whispering in his ear.

A woman might word it nicely and deliver it in a velvety package but venom is deadly no matter how sweetly it's injected. That's what made a woman so dangerous, you never expect them. You don't see them coming until its too late. Women stand in the shadows while the men take the glory but really, it's the women who stand victorious.

She spent countless hours reading the histories of the past lords and kings and studied every aspect of their fall from glory to make sure she would never suffer the same fate. In all the books and scrolls women were kept out of them but subtleties would lead Azula to the truth and so she thought she had nothing to fear. She was a woman. She would never have to deal with the infectiousness of another sharing her bed, and so she paid it no further thought.

But as that dangerously beautiful girl wove a leg between her own all those previous thoughts came rushing back to her. _How could I be so stupid? How could it have slipped my mind? _With a newfound clarity she wrenched her eyes open with every intention of ripping the girls soft body away from her own, but those golden irises landed on a white dragon soaring through the sky.

The cloud was stratified in a way that made the dragon appear so real that for a second, her heart stopped. They had gone extinct before she was born but she vowed she would destroy one were she ever given the chance. Then she could become a Dragon herself.

Her buffoon of an uncle was the last person to become a Dragon. The selfish old fool killed the last one before she could ever be given the chance to. But as a child she often thought of the honorary title she would be given should she ever kill a dragon. Oftentimes you would be named for the area in which you prevailed, The Dragon of the West or The Dragon of the Black Cliffs, but she always fancied herself a more befitting name. Something like The Dragon Princess or The Young Dragon, in her fantasy she often imaged herself to be the youngest to ever slay a dragon.

She threw the girl off of her, completely forgetting her in the newfound excitement, and stood up as if that would get her any closer to the mirage. The dragon soared through the sky as if it ruled the world, and Azula wanted it. She wanted the chance to make the creature bow to her. _What better an animal to fall to my blue flames than a white dragon?_

"What do you see?" asked a small hesitant voice behind her. She sounded so distant, so far away that Azula had to turn around to make sure the girl was still there. Ty Lee sat cross legged staring up at the princess with her usual delighted smile.

"A dragon." She turned around and pointed up in the general direction but couldn't find it. As quick as it had appeared to her it vanished. She searched and searched but it was gone.

"Hmm," Ty Lee stood to join Azula by the rail, "I see a flower."

That daft acrobat dare call her a liar? Her grip on the rail tightened until her knuckles turned white. She had seen it. She knew she did. Just because she couldn't find it now didn't mean it wasn't there, right? But where had it gone? Did the wind reshape it so soon? How could she prove what she had seen if it was no longer there? Worse yet, why did she even care to prove such a useless ability to an equally useless girl?

Ty Lee jerked her hand off the railing with a short yelp, causing Azula to look at the now glowing metal. She let go and took a deep breath to regain control of her devices. She looked over at the aura reader who was wearing a pained look on her face and held her hands behind her back.

In fear that she had hurt the girl she ordered to see her hands but Ty Lee only shook her head defiantly. Azula could see the unshed tears in her eyes and she knew she had burned her. She didn't think the acrobat had held on long enough but it would appear that she heated the metal too quickly, not even Ty Lee could react fast enough.

Azula took a step forward to reach for her but the girl took a step back. She tried once more but for every step the princess took forward, the acrobat took one backward, not allowing herself to come within arms length of the princess. _Why is she being difficult? She did nothing wrong. _

She was overcome with an emotion she could not name, but Azula knew she didn't like it. It was something akin to the shame she felt when she failed her father only it was stronger. She felt an uncontrollable need to rid herself of it, to fix the problem she had created. She wanted to stop the pained look on Ty Lee's face and would do anything to return that annoyingly endearing smile she usually wore.

She decided on a different tactic, seeing as force would not work. "Let me see?" Her usually cold voice held that unnamable emotion, much to her dismay. She had hoped to coax the girl out of whatever idiocy made her afraid to show her hands, but hadn't meant to sound quite that pathetic.

Regardless, it worked. Ty Lee didn't shy away when the prodigy took a step forward this time and allowed her to pull her hands gently into her own. Azula eased her clenched fists open and examined them. What she saw made her angry but she was carful not to let her emotions get the better of her again. Only the weak couldn't keep themselves in check and Azula was anything but weak.

Her hands were as red as blood and the prominent areas on the underside of her knuckles were already starting to blister. They looked terrible and painful and she knew exactly how it felt. Her father had once made her lay her hands flat on hot iron for missing a step on a novice move. That had been one of her worse punishments, especially since she wasn't allowed to heal it until she perfected the move. She wouldn't wish that on her worse enemy. Well, maybe she would, but not Ty Lee. That silly little acrobat didn't deserve pain like this.

She tore her eyes away from the burned flesh and found those grey orbs staring at her intently. She looked back at the princess apologetically, making Azula feel all the worse. Somehow that absurd girl had got it in her head that she had done something wrong. Unable to handle the crushing weight of that damnable emotion, Azula pulled her by her elbow as fast as she could to the sick bay.

Ty Lee said nothing and fought her tears the entire time the healer worked on her hands. Azula only watched from the doorway, unable to leave for whatever reason. She felt horrible. She hadn't meant for this to happen, shouldn't that count for something?

It was rather ironic that all those times she purposely hurt the girl she had felt nothing, except for some sort of sadistic satisfaction, but her one accidental injury had turned Azula's newfound conscience against her, leaving her a confused mess.

Every guard that walked past would spare a few seconds to look at the obviously remorseful princess questioningly. She knew she was losing face in front of them, but she would deal with that later. An Agni Kai or two would clear that up real quick. Right now though, she needed to stay and be sure the worthless healer would fix the problem as soon as possible.

She wished desperately for a waterbender who could fix this problem in an instant and remembered that only a few hours ago she had cursed the Water Tribes and vowed to destroy them all. She quickly recanted that promise and decided that she would allow a few to live and breed, only to be kept around as healers since those unable to bend did little and less. The healer currently working on Ty Lee certainly seemed unable to do much at all.

Ty Lee flinched again as the doctor tore a piece of hanging flesh from her hand, causing Azula to grimace at the knowledge that this was entirely her fault.

His voice cut through Azula's self loathing. "She will be back to normal in a couple of weeks. Just make sure to reapply this serum every 3 hours." She nodded curtly and waited while the doctor finished giving Ty Lee limitations. Once the rules were set and the medicine given, Azula followed the girl back to her chambers.

It crossed Azula's mind that she shouldn't be walking behind the acrobat; it should be the other way around, yet she could not bring herself to fix the situation. Watching Ty Lee drag her feet as she stared solemnly at her wrapped hands was enough to distract her from what is proper protocol.

An overwhelming need to say _something_ took over as she spent the rest of the walk to the room searching for the right words. When Ty Lee entered her chambers she seemed a bit surprised that Azula was still with her. But before Azula could get the chance to really break down the reaction a soft smile took over her features as the acrobat took the stiffened princess into her arms.

"You're still here?" It was almost a hurtful statement. _Of course I'm still here. _It was odd that the girl hadn't noticed the princess following her the entire time, but Azula supposed that it never crossed the acrobat's mind because Azula had _never_ followed her before.

The moment had was now or never. Now would be the time to say whatever it was that she needed to say. She hoped it might make herself feel better about the whole situation, though Azula could not quite fathom the reason why. She had heard from others that apologizing supposedly makes problems better. But how a few words could fix something like _this,_ she didn't know, but she would try anyway.

At the very least, it will make Ty Lee feel better. _She always was a sucker for a few pretty words._ She pulled out of the aura reader's embrace and brought a hand up to fix the imaginary out of place hair in her topknot and took a moment to straighten her crown.

"Ty Lee," she started, her voice coming out stronger than she had expected. Their eye's locked as she spoke, lending an air of seriousness to the coming conversation. "My earlier actions were careless at best and not at all a testament to my prodigious upbringing. This was not my intention." She let out a breath of relief. _Well, that was easier than I thought._ She smiled, or tried to at least. It turned out looking more like a triumphant smirk.

Ty Lee only stared blankly back at her, clearly not understanding the intentions of the princess' words. _Oh well, I tried. Is it really my fault that she is too stupid to understand it._ She cleared her throat.

"All right then, I shall not bother you until we dock at the Earth Kingdom. We're picking up an old friend and you need plenty of time to rest so you can heal properly. You are of no use to me hurt." She turned on heel and walked out the door. She was right; apologizing did make her feel better.


	5. A Thin Line

Omashu - Part 1

I had to split this chapter into two parts because it was getting to be pretty long...

* * *

><p>The day had scarcely begun and already the city was alive with movement.<p>

Mai stood leaning against the rails of her balcony carelessly watching the city she had come to hate with a passion that was so unlike her.

She could hear guards shouting below and see them rushing about franticly. She could hear a distraught cry that belonged to her mother and could only imagine the frenzied state she would be in.

The citizens of Omashu had been driven out and it would seem they have taken her young brother with them. Her mother's sobbing had continued throughout the night making it difficult to get any sleep at all. She found herself yearning for the boredom she had cursed only days ago.

All this excitement was only the beginning; something much worse was on its way. A plague was coming and she could not decide whether to be glad for it or to fear its eminent arrival. The palace was awoken by a messenger in the night to warn them of the princess' coming.

Of course Azula would choose today of all days to come. She always did have impeccable timing after all. Mai was sure that the princess would be less than pleased to find the state Omashu was in. _If only she had come a week ago…_

With one last glance at the chaos below, Mai sighed and turned away. She walked swiftly through the balcony threshold and back to her room. Once she entered her wardrobe Mai disrobed so she could properly dress herself. Azula would be displeased to find her as she was.

Her hand grazed a notch in the wall and a secret door opened. She found that hidden room her first night in this palace and was glad for it. The assassin loved her secrets and was in need of a place to store her weapons until they were needed. She always kept some on her of course, but today she would need to be fully armed, Azula would expect no less.

She blissfully ran the tips of her fingers along the cold steel of her double bladed knives, those were her favorites. Her first. She'd seen them as a child and immediately wanted them. "They're light and equally balanced. Perfect for beginners," she was told, but she never grew out of them. Instead she mastered them, she turned them into weapons to be feared in her hands. Then she took a wetstone and shaved the blunted edges until they had an impossibly sharp tip on either end. _They aren't for beginners anymore._

She continued walking till she reached the back of the small area and began to strap on every sheath and harness she owned, before she persisted to fill each of them with the weapon they were made for.

How long had it been since she donned her full gear? She was heavy with all the added weight, but it felt good. It felt right. It was odd that something so cold and lifeless could bring her such warmth.

She glared at her slim figure in the looking glass and smiled for the first time since she had been forcefully moved to this disgusting Earth Kingdom town. Naked, save for the leather and steel placed strategically on her body, she found an elegant robe and dressed herself, taking care in making sure every blade was properly concealed. She added a few more weapons to her hair and the hidden pockets of her clothes for good measure before shutting the hidden door and walking out to find a servant waiting for her.

"My Lady, your father sent me to tell you that the princess has entered the city." Mai nodded curtly and sent the boy away.

The assassin began her graceful walk out to the front of the palace where Azula would be brought. _Best I'm the first person she sees._ Azula will be wroth when she finds out her father's plan to trade the Earth King for her little brother. _She'll be even angrier when she finds out how we lost him in the first place._

Azula's arrival would be more grim than happy but she would bring at least one good prospect with her: Ty Lee. Where Azula goes, Ty follows. It would be nice to see her again. If Mai were to call anyone a friend, it would be Ty. More like a sister, really. Ty Lee would always be more family to the assassin than those she was born to.

Her second year at the Fire Nation Academy for Girls brought the princess in with the new class. Her parents had told her to befriend the girl, but Mai had problems befriending anyone because _everyone_ was so boring, stupid and childish. She often wondered how they were admitted into the Academy in the first place. It seemed as though no one but her had been raised properly as all nobility should be.

Then one day a tiny bouncing girl literally fell into her lap while she read under a tree. The girl claimed that fate brought them together and declared Mai to be her new best friend. Ty Lee attached herself to the older noble woman that day and would not let go regardless of her protests. She didn't care for it at the time, but Mai was glad for it now. She was grateful for the girl's inability to accept no for an answer.

Before long she became dependant on the overbearing acrobat as the only real source of socialization. However, it did take a bit of time to warm up to Azula. She could never bring herself to fully trust the devious girl as Ty Lee had.

Something about her eyes always put Mai on edge. Golden irises belonged exclusively to Fire Nation nobility, but when compared to Azula's everyone else's seemed dull and common. No one had eyes quite like Azula's. Vibrant, yet somehow emotionless leaving no hint to her thoughts and Mai did not like that one bit.

Still, she was loyal to her Nation and her family and nothing if not dutiful, so she did as she was asked and befriended the little princess. Their _friendship,_ if it could be called that, was born more out of circumstance and a mutual affiliation with Ty Lee than anything to do with affection towards each other.

However much she might not like the princess, she did respect her. Her mind was as sharp as any seasoned general and she could fight twice as well. The princess' wits rivaled her own and she rather enjoyed the entertaining time spent together, where they would speak ambiguously to each other and spend more time dissecting the meanings behind words then ever saying them.

Mai reached the gates of the palace and stood with her arms folded in her sleeves, while she fingered her knives and relished in the comfort they brought. She could see them far off, entering the outer gates and slowly making their way to where she stood.

The princess was hidden away in her palanquin but she could make out a pink form bounding alongside it. Much to her dismay, Mai found herself growing excited with every impossibly long second. _I missed them,_ she realized.

When they came into full view Mai lowered her head respectfully, but not before catching the toothy grin that belonged to Ty Lee. She stood in silence with her head still bowed low as Azula's servants lowered her to the ground and she elegantly stepped out.

The princess' determined footsteps and Ty Lee's soft padding could not be mistaken for any other, Mai had long since committed them to memory. She waited for them to reach her so she could return to her upright posture.

"I can hardly remember the last time we three have been together." Azula spoke as she always has, with a taunting rasp.

With her eyes still lowered Mai replied in a serious deadpan, "I believe the last time we were all together, you set me on fire." She could hear Ty Lee giggling but did not join in.

"An innocent prank, I assure you."

Mai lifted her eyes as all three girls begin to laugh at the memory that was anything but an _innocent_ prank.

She eyed Azula up and down and took notice of every difference in the girl. A year is a long time and if Mai planned to stay one step ahead of the cunning girl before her, she needed know her completely.

Azula's features were sharper and she seemed to stand a bit taller than the assassin remembered. Mai supposed this was normal; she herself had grown after all. Other than that she looked all the same. Her ebony hair was still adorned with a crimson crown meant only for the royal family. She held her head high and her presence still commanded attention as it always had.

Azula broke her train of thought when she uncharacteristically placed a hand against Mai's arm. It was no affectionate gesture, she was feeling if the assassin is armed. _Surely, you must know better than to think I would come to meet you unarmed. _The devious glint in those untrustworthy eyes told her that she was right. _Perhaps she wanted to let me know she hadn't forgotten my hidden talent._ "It's nice to see you haven't changed, Mai."

_And so it begins. _But before she can utter a clever response Ty Lee flew at her opened armed and encased her slim figure until she had trouble breathing. She almost forgot about the other girl in the unspoken game she was playing with Azula. "I missed you so much," the acrobat said sweetly. "I wish you never left."

"I missed you, too. But I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other soon. There must be a reason why you two are here." She pulled out of their embrace and looked back to Azula. "Please tell me you're here to rescue me from this insufferable city."

Ty Lee spoke quickly and with a sly smile. "We have to capture _Zuko._" The way Ty Lee said his name sent shivers down her spine. It had been so long since she last seen the banished prince. She heard whispers of his whereabouts and of his failures, it was never anything good, but at least she knew he was alive.

As much as it killed her to admit it, she cares for Zuko. And if Ty Lee spoke truly she would have to help Azula bring him down. At least she wouldn't be forced to harm him. The very presence of the princess assured that. If Azula only needed to bring his body back she could do it herself, but to take him alive, she would need help. Especially if the rumors were true and he was under the protection of General Iroh.

They were both looking at her strangely, no doubt waiting for an emotional response of some sort. Mai would not give them the satisfaction. "Well, that should be easy enough between the three of us." She made sure to keep her voice strong and even, they seemed disappointed.

"Oh," Ty Lee gasped excitedly, "we also have to get the Avatar! How cool will it be to get to see the last Air Nomad?" Mai was about to respond when one of the acrobat's hands moved from her clothed arm and grazed one of her own. Mai always remembered Ty Lee to have such soft skin, but her palm felt rough and blistered. She immediately grasped the girl's hand and turned it over for inspection.

_Red and scarred._ She knew these marks; she'd suffered them before. She could feel anger clouding her judgment. "What happened?" she demanded, but somehow she already knew. It was what she feared most when she first left. Without her around there would be no one to protect Ty Lee from Azula's rage.

Ty Lee's grey eyes shifted to Azula for a second before she caught herself and immediately looked away. But a second was all Mai needed.

The acrobat immediately began spitting out excuses and making up stories that the assassin was no longer listening to. Ty Lee was as bad a liar as they came.

Her own eyes connected with the royal gold of Azula's. They seemed to be challenging her defiance while Ty Lee's looked up at her begging Mai to let it go. Without having commanded it, Mai felt a knife slip from her wrist into her palm and she held it carefully. She would only have one shot.

She knew it was a bad idea, she knew she was over reacting, but Azula needed to learn she could not step all over everyone and get away with it. _Especially not Ty._ And if she was the only one brave enough to stand against it, then so be it.

Azula was no longer standing casually as she had been a moment ago. Her feet widened just a touch and were planted firmly on the ground. She was waiting for Mai to react. Their eyes were locked in an intense battle of their own, both egging the other on. This was something they had both been waiting for, a chance to best the other and find out who comes out on top. Mai realized she had only been looking for an excuse and Azula probably felt the same way.

She was at a disadvantage, Mai knew that much. A year ago she might have thought differently but that was when she could observe Azula as she practiced, but even then it was hard to find a chink in her chain.

As hard as she tried she could never find a pattern to the benders movements. She was erratic yet precise, she could turn almost any situation to her advantage. Azula is a genius at these kinds of things, always 10 steps ahead of her opponent and Mai was sure that even now Azula would have a thousand different plans running through her mind, each one dependant on Mai's next move.

Azula was a true warrior and a formidable opponent, but Mai would be sure to bury a few knives into the _princess_ and find out if royals really do bleed gold, or if they had the same crimson blood as the rest. _She will never forget that I was the one to show the world._

Another knife slipped into her other palm. Her fingers were twitching for a release. _I'll get both of these off first, then the spring-loaded ones right after, before she has a chance to react properly. _They will all rain down on her simultaneously. Azula would be able to dodge most of them, but not all. Mai would make sure to space them in a manner that was impossible to miss. _At least one should catch her._

Their _friendship,_ if it could be called that, was after all, born more out of circumstance and a mutual affiliation with Ty Lee than anything to do with affection.

"It was an accident! Stop it! Both of you." Ty Lee's voice had gone up an octave but it was no less an order than those that usually leave the princess' mouth. She was standing between them now but she was only looking at Mai. "Put it away." Mai had never heard Ty Lee speak in such a way before, so demanding and full of force.

She had spent so long scrutinizing Azula she never took the time to really look at Ty Lee. She was taller just as they all were. All limbs, slender but muscular. But she looked so much _older._ She carried herself differently and was not so quiet as she always had been. She wasn't a little girl that needed protecting, but still Mai felt the need to fight for her. _I suppose we never grow out of the need to protect our younger siblings._ That's what she was after all, more kin to her than her blood brother.

Mai returned her knife to its place at her wrist and relaxed her stance. Azula did the same while Ty Lee took a deep breath. After a moment Azula spoke up, "I only had a healer and he left scars. I didn't think to bring a waterbender with us before we left the palace. They are scarce elsewhere, but am I wrong to hope Omashu holds at least one."

Mai had to grit her teeth to keep from saying something to spark the situation. She looked back and signaled for a servant of her own to come. "This is Lady Ty Lee," she gestured to the acrobat. "Take her to Akane and tell her to take special care of my friend here."

The young servant bowed and moved to Ty Lee's side. "No way, I'm not leaving after what almost just happened." She looked between the two girls. "It's been 10 minutes and you already almost tried to kill each other!"

Azula, looking as amused as always, walked over to Ty Lee and placed a hand on the girls shoulder. _Interesting._ Azula is not one for contact of any form but she initiated this simple gesture to put Ty Lee's fears aside. "I promise I wont kill Mai."

Ty Lee crossed her arms like a stubborn child. "Not good enough," she replied. Mai expected some form of retribution for Ty Lee's blatant lack of respect but it never came. Instead the princess only sighed, "Fine. I promise not to attack her in any way." Azula took a second to smile, not entirely unkindly, at the assassin before continuing in a mockingly sweet voice. "She's my friend as well as yours."

Ty Lee looked between the two girls for any sign of residual resentment before agreeing, albeit rather reluctantly. "If I come back to either of you burnt or stabbed, I will make sure you both spend the next week laying side by side on the ground unable to move." With that last threat she turned to follow the servant.

Azula's eyes trailed after Ty Lee for a few seconds. Mai can't decide what the princess is thinking as she watches the pink form disappear but she knows something has changed between them. In the past, Ty Lee would never have gotten away with what she had just done. And not only did Azula not react violently, she found it amusing. _Very Interesting. _She only had another second to examine Azula before the prodigy composed herself and turned back to Mai with her signature condescending smirk.

"Well, that was _almost_ fun." Her tone is light and only serves to anger Mai further.

"Tell me what you did," Mai demanded.

"_Tsk tsk." _Azula slowly shook her head from side to side. _"_Now, is that any way to speak to your princess? I always remembered you to be so _proper._"

That arrogant tone was about all Mai could take. "Cut the shit, _princess_" Mai was defiant in a way she had never been before. "I am not one of those sycophants you surround yourself with, now tell me what you did."

Azula was not angry as she had expected. _She really has changed._ Who knew a year could do so much. "No, I suppose you never were much of a brownnoser. I both hated and respected you for that."

Mai opened her mouth to demand an explanation once more but Azula cut her off before she had a chance. "She spoke truly. It was… _an_ _accident._" She spit the last word out as a curse, as if it were difficult to say.

For the first time that she can remember, Mai is absolutely sure Azula is telling the truth. The princess doesn't have _accidents._ She only knows perfection. She would not say she fell from grace unless it were true, it's embarrassing. Frankly Mai was sure if she were anyone else, Azula would rather lie than have them know the truth.

She felt herself calming down. She brought back down the apathetic mask she usually hides behind and bowed respectfully though it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Forgive me."

"Quit doing that, it's annoying." Mai gracefully edged out of her bow. And just like that things were back to normal again, whatever normal was.

Azula was watching the nearby guards barking orders to each other with urgency. "Now tell me, why is everyone in this city in such a panic. What is happening?"

Mai folded her arms gracefully into her sleeves and stood tall, as her Lady mother had always taught her. "This is a conversation best had indoors." Mai spoke regally leading Azula to a frown.

They walked in silence as Mai led Azula to Omashu's throne room. It was nowhere near as extravagant as the Fire Nations, but it would have to do. _Azula always enjoyed sitting on high seats and looking down on others._

The room had not been touched since her family had ascended to power but she made sure to have it cleaned and prepared the moment she heard of the princess' arrival. Her parents had made a deal about preparing a feast in Azula's honor but Mai knew better than to waste her time with such trivial things.

She spent a large part of her life serving the princess, Mai knew what it was Azula would want, and it would not be a feast. She is more like to roast her parents after the news Mai would give her. It was her duty after all. _We only live to serve the Fire Nation; we only live to serve the Fire Lord._ She'd been taught those words long before anything else and Azula, for all intents and purposes, is the Fire Lord so she must serve.

The thought brought a vile satisfaction. All those years of standing silently in the background paid for by this one day. Azula would be furious, of that she was certain.

When they entered the room Azula immediately took a seat on the dais and Mai stood before her. The room was simply decorated and all manner of green was traded in for the royal colors of crimson and gold. There was no giant wall of rock to separate the earth king from his subjects like the Fire Lords eternal wall of flame. It was a rather small room to be considered a throne room, but Mai supposed the mad King Bumi did not make much use of it.

"Tell me then," Azula demanded, clearly out of patience. "I would rather get this over with quickly."

Mai nodded and wondered where to begin. _Perhaps the beginning might be the best start,_ she mused.

"For as long as I've been in this dreadful city our people has been plagued by a group who named themselves 'The Resistance.' They do all they can to sabotage anything they can get their filthy hands on. More than a few time attempts on family's lives have been made. I did my best to stop what I could, even caught a couple myself, but a few knives are hard to get past solid rock."

"They have always troubled us, but none so much as in the past two days. I fought them off but before I could get to them they disappeared beneath the earth as they have a habit to," Mai said in her usual deadpan.

"The day before last, a few cases of pentapox showed up on some of the towns people. Then yesterday it would seem that the entire earth kingdom came down with it. Thankfully none of our own was touched by this plague_._" She paused to see if the princess caught her meaning, and when she was satisfied she continued.

"My father, being the governor your father appointed, thought it best to drive them out of the city before we all came down with this _disease. _It was an excellent plan, you see, what good would come of this great city if we all came down with a mad case of pentapox? But before we could sleep last night, we discovered my brother to be missing."

Mai finished speaking but Azula made no move to acknowledge it. The assassin could detect the anger flaring within the princess.

Finally, Azula spoke. "I fear you need to refresh my memory, Mai. What exactly is pentapox?" Her golden eyes narrowed when she spoke to the assassin.

She replied without missing a beat, "From what I gathered, pentapox is received when a purple pentapus attaches itself to you, which will leave behind prominent but otherwise harmless marks on the skin."

Azula pinched the bridge of her nose and took in a long deep breath. _She is very angry now._ "I see," she spoke through closed eyes. "And did you not think this information prudent when your idiot father decided to cleanse the city of all its peasants?"

This time her eyes locked on Mai's as she awaited an answer. But Mai had put some forethought to this conversation and only truth would spare her, though the same cannot be said for her parents. They would be made to suffer for this and there was not much Mai could do for them. "I was not asked."

A glint of humor could be caught in the princess' eyes for a small second. "Ah, yes. The old traditions of high nobility. Oftentimes, I forget you must suffer such nonsense." The glint returned, "I will fix that."

She turned to the only remaining attendant in sight, "You there, go find the governor and his wife and bring them to me." The girl, shaking in obvious fear, could make no verbal response and only bowed deeply before exiting the room. That seemed to amuse Azula well enough.

"You wont be too harsh on them, I hope?" Mai found herself saying without ever remembering lending her consent to those words. "They are already struck with grief over the loss of their only son, my mother especially. My father only blames himself." _As he should. _She did not know why she was making excuses for her parents but it was done and she had to admit to feeling at least a little bit better for it.

"I will be as harsh as I need to be. You're father is an imbecile and you should be thankful you do not take after him." She sounded like a leader then, far beyond her years. Azula was no longer the controlling princess she met all those years ago, she was sounding more the part of the Fire Lord she is meant to be.

"Besides, what do you care? I've never known you to be particularly fond of your parents anyway." Her eyes were laughing as she spoke even though her mouth made no effort to join and Mai knew it was meant as a jest.

"True enough. But to see my father cry at the hands of a girl younger than I, is not something I wish to ever witness." A harsh laughter filled the room then, Mai could not help but join in.

"I'll spare them any harm, but I mean to make a lesson of this," Azula said once the laughter died down. "I cannot have him making such follies, we cannot afford it."

Mai only nodded.

"We have more important matters right now, before the servant returns with your parents in tow. I came here for a reason." Mai waited, Azula was not in the habit of being interrupted and she is far fiercer than she ever was a year ago.

"Things are different since you left." Mai could have guessed as much, something substantial had happened to turn Azula so much harder than she ever was. "I have always been groomed to take the place of my father but now he seems more _set_ in his decision."

To hear Zuko tell it, Azula had always been the favorite child of Ozai and she'd always been meant to take the Fire Lords place. But Azula would sing a different song. Azula was _better._ She worked harder and longer; she is smarter; she is obedient; she is a prodigy. Those were the only reasons Ozai chose her. Zuko failed to comply with perfection where Azula made sure not to falter. But in truth, Ozai favored his firstborn, his son.

The Fire Lord seemed to pit his children against each other to see who would come out on top, but Azula always prevailed. So grudgingly, the Fire Lord named her his heir. Azula used to say that the fools journey Ozai sent her brother on was not quite so impossible as everyone thought it to be. She turned out to be right. Should Zuko ever return with the previously non-existent Avatar, he would be restored his birthright and Azula would lose her crown.

It was a hard life being born into the royal family but it was said that was what shaped leaders. If Mai was right, as she often was, Azula had been ordered to bring her brother back disgraced, securing her future crown.

"He told me to bring Zuko and Uncle back, marked as traitors. _Dead or Alive,_ he tells me, but I know he means alive."

_I was right then, she did need them alive._

Azula reconnected their gazes and made sure to speak directly to Mai although there was no other presence in the room. "You will come with me and you will help me retrieve my brother _after _we kill the Avatar. Together we will be unstoppable." It was no question, it was a command, not that Mai would deny any chance to put this place at her back.

"You are cunning and deadly and I wish for you to stand at my right hand." Mai must have reacted in some way to the combination of both flattery and a high honor because Azula's lips seemed to pull at the corners.

Mai held no illusion of the princess' love, it was only the assassin's talents both in combat and in her mind that the princess wished to exploit, but it was still an honor nonetheless.

Mai stood by Azula as her parents were brought into the room. The look of surprise on their face when they entered as they saw Mai standing next to the angry princess is one Mai will cherish for the rest of her life.

There was something so satisfactory about having Mai's parents bow, forehead to floor, to Azula while she stood at the princess' right hand. Her father, who had never done a right thing in his life, save for being born the firstborn son of a high noble family, was especially shocked to find that it was his idiocy that brought on Azula's wrath.

Mai only stood idly by as Azula celebrated the governors stupidity and commended him for his careless actions and the embarrassing result of them. Her mocking reproach had taken on a life of its own.

Never let it be said that serving Azula didn't come with its own rewards.

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


	6. A Grey Revelation

Omashu - Part 2

* * *

><p>She stood under the late morning sun eager with anticipation for what was to come. Although it was still rather early in the day, much had transpired. Tensions were high and the princess was itching for a fight she hoped the rebels would provide.<p>

Ty Lee moved in an inverted fashion, happily exercising her new fully healed hands. Azula would have stopped the childish play if the girl wasn't wearing such a big smile. It was such a silly thing to have missed, after all. How useful could walking on your hands actually be? But Azula could not deny Ty Lee her simple fun; it was her fault the acrobat had been hurt in the first place. The memory brought a grimace to her formerly expressionless features.

Mai stood abruptly, her attention turned skyward. Azula followed her gaze to see an approaching outline far off in the horizon. _A war balloon_, she thought astonished before she immediately reconsidered. The Earth Kingdom had no air fleet, the Fire Nation were the proud owners of the only war balloons in existence. Besides, even if they did happen to capture a balloon, it wouldn't be in the hands of some failed city's rebels. _It would be kept safely behind the large walls of Ba Sing Se, their precious "impenetrable city."_

But as it grew nearer she began to see the distinctive differences in its movements. It turned too sharply and moved to swiftly against the wind. This was no ordinary war balloon.

She was thoroughly intrigued. Even Ty Lee's demeanor changed as she righted herself and moved to stand beside the princess.

_It moves far to quickly._ "What is it?" Ty Lee asked as she stared, mouth agape. Azula squinted to sharpen her sight but was at a loss for words when it came to the strange shape before her.

It was close enough to see clearly in a matter of seconds. _An air bison_, she realized suddenly. In that instant Mai turned with an expression just as astonished as the one Azula was sure she wore. "How?" was all she said. Azula was, for the first time, without an answer. She had been told they went extinct along with their human counterparts a hundred years ago. Though she grudgingly supposed it was possible for a few to stay in hiding.

The air bison landed 30 yards away to let off its passengers. Three small figures left the safety of their flying beast causing the princess to scoff at what she was sure must be a joke of some sort. _Children. They sent children._

In truth, they weren't all that much younger than herself, but she was never truly a child to begin with. Born an adult with more responsibilities than most, Azula was never afforded the luxury of a child. Mai was much the same.

But the three that stood before them were nothing more than snot-nose kids. She could tell simply by the way they carried themselves. She soon lost hope for any semblance of a challenge should this trade turn into a conflict. The only thing even remotely interesting so far was their entrance.

She saw the child in the arms of the taller boy, she rolled her eyes. _All this for a toddler._

Mai took a step forward to take control of the situation. The prodigy decided to give Mai the lead in this particular _trade_ as a test of sorts. Newly named her right hand, the sardonic girl would need to prove more than fighting prowess and above average intelligence, negotiation could be considered one of the most important parts in war.

But before any words could be said, a gust of wind took hold of a sleeve to the shorter boy revealing a strange thin blue cloth running up the length of his arm. _No, not a cloth. A tattoo._ She smiled instantly, thanking Agni for her good fortune. _Father always did say I was born lucky._

If she was right, and she usually was, the child standing before her was the avatar himself. The air bison gave her the first hint and the airbending tattoos he failed to properly conceal led her to her final conclusion.

Overcome with a sense of joy she stepped forward and, without having given much thought to the toddler clutching heavily to one of the avatar's companions, easily dropped into a firebending stance.

"Azula, no!" She heard Ty Lee's concerned voice behind her, but Mai said nothing. _She must have seen it too. _Ignoring Ty Lee's loud protest behind her and relishing in the look of concern in the eyes before her, she thrust her arms out swiftly and sent forth a huge wave of blue fire.

The boy standing nearest to her, the one she adamantly hoped was the avatar, immediately took action and used the wooden staff he was carrying to amplify his airbending and redirect her fire over their heads. The air bison spooked and took off into the sky, leaving the 3 children at her mercy, which was nonexistent where they were concerned.

Without taking her eyes off the prize she yelled over the commotion to the two women behind her. "Take the other two, I've got the avatar."

Taking advantage of the chaos and allowing no time for the rebels to conspire, Azula immediately took off after the airbender. She could trust Mai to take control of the situation she left behind and with Ty Lee standing beside her, she simply could not fail.

As Azula's pounding footsteps grew closer, the boy suddenly realized she was after him and him alone. He dashed the bottom of his rod against the ground and it transformed into some sort of flying contraption, as he was suddenly way over her head, flying in the opposite direction of his companions. _He is drawing me away from them,_ she realized. _Good, I already found one weakness. _

Before she had a chance to turn and follow him, she saw the air bison returning. Deciding to save Mai and Ty Lee some trouble, she spun upwards and released another wave of flame at the beast. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone from the sky.

Leaving no more time for the boy to escape, she turned her attention back to the retreating figure. He landed on a platform above where she stood and smiled down at her, surely thinking he was out of her reach. He was wrong.

She speedily took off after him and sent high velocity jets out from her hands and feet when she reached the wall, something she had taught herself within the last few months or so. One lesson she has never forgotten since she first started her training is that there is always something new to learn with firebending, even for masters of the art. The steady current of flame allowed her to virtually run up the wall and land directly in front of the astonished boy.

"What's wrong, avatar? You didn't think you were the only one with a few tricks up your sleeve did you?" Her voice resumed the taunting nature it usually held. The boy stamped his rod against the ground again, allowing her to witness the mechanics of the spring loaded contraption that allowed him to fly. But before he had a chance to take off, she took action and threw multiple balls of glowing blue fire at it.

The avatar stood helplessly by as he watched the thin material easily melt into the ash.

"Looks like there'll be no more flying for you." Her lips pulled at the corners when the avatar dropped his stick and took a defensive stance.

"What do you want?" She stifled a laugh at the boy's pre-pubescent voice.

"What do I want?" she pondered aloud with a lazy half smile touching her lips. "I want the world, avatar." Her voice remained calm and soft and held an air of arrogance to it, she could already see by his unease that he wasn't a fully realized avatar. He would be no match for her in the state he was currently in.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Why is your fire blue?"

"Excellent questions. And the answers to them both go hand in hand." She took a step towards the boy. "I suppose it's only fair that I answer," she said indifferently. "I'm Princess Azula, the prodigy of the Fire Nation." She took another step forward, dropped into a stance, and took in a deep breath simultaneously. "And I'm going to kill you."

With two outpointed fingers on each hand, she swept her arms about, gathering both the positive and negative charges needed to create a devastating blast. She would not be stupid and draw this boy's death out any longer than she already had. The last thing she needed at the moment was for her father to find out she let the avatar escape her.

Being the sadist that she was, she glanced at the boy and connected their gazes for the first time, hoping to find fear in his eyes. But as her molten gaze lingered, she hesitated at the eerily familiar look in those large glistening grey eyes.

All the air left her lungs in a heavy expel and her arms dropped to her side before a proper current could be made. Her face contorted into a mask of confusion as she bore into the eyes before her.

It was the first time she had ever seen anyone with eyes like Ty Lee. She always thought it odd that the acrobat didn't have the golden irises like the rest of the Fire Nation nobles, but never gave it much thought beyond that.

A sudden possibility hit her through a gasp. Her step faltered and she forgot all about the boy standing before her. She took another step back closer to the ledge of the platform.

She stupidly turned her back on the boy, too caught up in her thoughts remember the objective. She looked down and zeroed in on Ty Lee sneaking up behind the avatar's female companion, who was focused on Mai and made no notice of the girl behind her. She launched into the air and landed directly beside her, striking the girl with precision that put her right arm to sleep.

She heard a loud bellow to the right of where she stood and her eyes immediately snapped to the threatening sound. The air bison was headed towards the four people below. Only this time, the bison had a rider.

_Idiot_, she thought angrily before jerking her around to prove what she already knew. _I let him go!_

The bison landed backwards, beside the waterbender and the other boy, and slammed his tail down on the ground. A powerful gush of wind sent Mai and Ty Lee flying 10 yards in the opposite direction. While Mai landed rather ungracefully, Ty Lee corrected herself and landed on her feet much like a bearded cat might.

The tall boy and waterbender boarded the beast and immediately took off into the unreachable skies above leaving the toddler behind.

Azula began her slow decent back to the duo below with a million thoughts running through her mind.

She hadn't realized she had reached ground level until she heard Ty Lee's shrieking voice.

"Azula! Are you okay?" Ty Lee asked as she thrust the child in Mai's arms and ran towards the princess. When she reached the firebender she immediately engulfed her in a hug. "What happened? How did the avatar get away?"

They were, of course, valid questions, but Azula had much more pressing matters on her mind. She pushed the girl away at arms length and stared, once again, into a pair of grey eyes. Every possibility of a Ty Lee-less future passed before her as she thought of the consequences of making her recent revelation known. It was entirely possible, though not likely, that she was wrong. _Perhaps her eye color is simply a misfortunate coincidence._

She decided then never to mention her possible discovery to anyone, especially Ty Lee. To simply forget this whole unsuccessful and frustrating day.

It was surprisingly easy to put out of her mind with all that was going on in her life. She needed to get back on track. She had now failed her nation twice. Worse, she failed her father twice. That's two times more than he would ever forgive.

She needed to find the avatar and kill him, then she would get her brother and uncle. No more failures would be acceptable, but now that she knew the avatars means of transportation, he should be fairly easy to find. After all, how many air bisons are left in the world?


End file.
